Dr. Tiffany Lewis (Michigan Technological University)

On the Importance of Accurate Particle Spectra in Multiwavelength Blazar Analysis

Abstract: Blazars are active galaxies that produce the largest and most energetic sustained jets in the Universe. These jets are launched from the vicinity of supermassive black holes, but the exact processes are poorly understood. In order to connect the energy output in the jet with the available energy from the central engine, we need an accurate accounting of the energy of particles that produce observable electromagnetic radiation in the jet, even though we usually do not observe those particles directly. In recent work, my group demonstrates that not only should we include synchrotron and Compton losses in a particle model, but synchrotron self-Compton as well. Even for a flat spectrum radio quasar, where the synchrotron self-Compton process is subdominant, the amount of energy it costs the particles to produce that radiation is significant, and impacts our understanding of energy requirements from the central engine. Particle distribution simulations also lend themselves to estimates of neutrino production that may be significant to Ice Cube blazars and candidates. These theoretical simulations can be compared with archival data, but are also important to planning observations for upcoming facilities like COSI, which will observe MeV polarization, and SWGO, with which we hope to observe many more TeV blazars in the Southern Hemisphere.